Major blow to Congress in Ludhiana as 31 party workers join ruling AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) got another major boost before the Ludhiana West Assembly byelection, as on Thursday, about 31 Congress workers and an Independent candidate, Chandan Chhanaliya, joined AAP.

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Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann formally inducted all workers and families into the party fold in the presence of Ludhiana West AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora and party MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal and extended them a warm welcome. Among those who joined the party from the Congress were educationist Simmi Chopra Pashan, Vinayak Pashan, Chanderjit Karan, Ranbir Singh, a retired police officer and former international volleyball player, advocate Jeevanjot, advocate Mamta Arora and Manish Aggarwal.

From the Congress, other prominent individuals who joined included Pawandeep Singh (Ward 57), Varun Sharma (Ward 60), Priyanka Sharma (Ward 60), Saurav Arora (Ward 57), Raja Singh (Ward 73), Rajesh Bindra (Ward 73), Ashwani Bhardwaj (Ward 73), Vicky Gaurav (Ward 73), Ashu Sharma (Ward 73), Yashpal Sharma (Ward 73), Ravi Bali, Rajinder Kaur, Pitu Gill, Kamal Dhir, Rupinder Singh, Neena Bhattal, Kukku Grewal, Mamta Mehta, Anu Kalia, Maninder Bagga, Jasleen Kaur, Samar Bajaj, Ritu Kapoor and Madhu Thapar.

While addressing the media, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the inclusion of these individuals of joining AAP has further strengthened the party’s position in the Ludhiana West byelection.

He said the people of Punjab were happy with the free electricity, education and healthcare services provided by the AAP government. People from all sections of society are extending their support to the government and joining the party in large numbers. The CM, impressed by the significant number of women joining the party, praised their active participation in politics and assured that all individuals would be given due respect in both party organisation and government. Highlighting improvements in the education system, he said this year, 44 students from state’s government schools cleared the JEE (Advanced) exam and are now set to secure admissions in IITs.

He said these students did not have to pay any coaching fees, as all coaching and facilities were provided free of cost in their schools.

Mann takes a dig at Congress, BJP

Taking a dig at the Congress, Mann said their internal infighting never seems to end. Meanwhile, the BJP has fled the battlefield, even going so far as to say: “If you don’t want to vote for us, then don’t, but don’t vote for AAP.”

He remarked that the people defeated arrogance last time and would do so again this time. Commenting on the BJP’s act of distributing sindoor, Mann criticised such political tactics, stating that they had no place in governance. He expressed his deep respect for the armed forces and saluted their dedication but firmly emphasised that the military should remain apolitical.

Mann questioned: “Have you ever seen any former PM donning a military uniform? The present PM is exploiting the uniform for political gains.”

‘Gangsters flourished during SAD regime’

While targeting the SAD, Mann questioned their claims of controlling gangsters. He asked whether they had some secret password to control crime. He said it was the SAD that introduced gangsters in Punjab. The gangsters that were infamous today came into existence during their tenure. Drugs were also brought by them. He reminded everyone of the Nabha jailbreak that happened during their regime and how a police officer was brutally killed while protecting his daughter’s honour. It was under their governance that criminals shot him dead. Now, they claim they could control crime. “These people have ruined the state. They neither built any schools nor colleges. They handed over roads to private companies, promoted sand and land mafias and disrespected religion. They seized control of Sikh institutions and ignored orders of the Akal Takht. How can these people save Punjab? In fact, Punjab needs to be saved from them,” Mann added.